St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-10-29
IT WAS A MURDER.
THE KILLING OF CASHIER BARRON
NINE YEARS AGO.
Confession of One of the Participants in
the Crime-They Obtain Only $500 in
Money and a $5OO-bond from the Bank
The Suicide Story Started by the Gang.

The New York Bpening World pub
fishes a confession by Charles Francis
Stain concerning the murder of Cashier
J. W. Barron, of the National Savings
Bark at Dexter, Me-, on February %,
1873, and the robbery of the bank Bar
ron was found on the evening of that
holiday lying bleeding and unconscious
J~1 the bank vault. The door of the vault
was open, but the funds were untouched,
aRd only 5000 in money and $500 bond
were missing from the cash drawer The
story was started that Barron had COM
mitted suicide to avoid exposure of some
misconduct toward the bank, but this was
never proved.
The World says that young man
named Charles Francis Stain has now
made statement that he and his father
David Stain, with Oliver Smith alias Crom-
well, well-known criminal, and four
men, named Andrews, Thompson, Scott
and Keely, were implicated in the crime.
They had procured impressions of all
the locks in the building where the bank
was located, and took advantage of the
holiday, when the building seemed de-
serted, to gain entrance by false keys.
On opening the vault room door, David
Staib found himself face to face with
Barron, who had been to the coal closet,
and was returning with scuttle of coal
in one nand and shovel in the other.
The vault door was unlocked, and the
cashier was apparently arranging to
count the funds and verify his accounts. |
INSTANTLY, and without word" says |
young Stain, father pulled a slungshot |
from his pocket and struck Mr.. Barron |
on the right side of the face. Barron |
staggered, and father struck him another
blow with the slungshot on the top of
the head and Barron fell to the floor
He was not, however, unconscious, and |
led to rise, when father leaped forward
,aJeHd struck him third blow, again on the
mead.
"Cromwell then jumped forward,
2Easped Barron by the throat, slung
goose around his neck and pulled it
light while father forced gag into the
PROSTATE mans mouth and knotted it at
the back of his head. They then pro-
ceeded to handcuff his hands behind his
back; and laid the handcuff key on the
floor behind him. At this time he was
unconscious.
Father took Barron's keys from his
pocket and thrust them into his own
pocket. Then Cromwell and father
together lifted Barron, carried him into
the vault and laid him on the floor The
great iron door of one of the safes was
open; but neither father nor Cromwell
dared to make an examination of the
contents Of the vault. They hastily
closed the door.
Father drew Barron's KEYS from his
pocket, and unlocked the money drawer
in the front room of the bank. He gath
cred up what loose money there was
there; amounting to little less than 5000,
and thrust $500 bond which was lying
in the drawer into his pocket"
The other members of the gang had been
on the watch in and near the building, and
on learning that the cashier had seen
Stain: they decided to flee. Young Stain
had waited at Bingham, few miles
away; with wagon. All found their
way thither, and drove to Solon, Me-,
where they separated. They did not
learn that Barron was dead until the
next day.
Young Stain heard all the details of
the robbery from his father and Crom- {
well. He believes that some of the gang
started the story of Barron's defalcation !
in order to divert suspicion from them !
elves. Young Stain is under arrest at
t'ranElin, Mass, where he made the con- {
fession. He was traced there by de-
tective from Maine. 1t is believed that
ae others involved will be captured.
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